Jennifer Aniston talks about letting herself go for Cake

Post-Friends, nobody’s really figured out what to do with Jennifer Aniston. Since 2002’s The Good Girl, she’s popped up, always a little uncomfortably, in an underwhelming series of comedies. But in Cake, Aniston makes a big-time dramatic turn. She plays the part of a woman suffering from chronic pain who begins investigating the death of a member of her support group. Cake director Daniel Barz, writer Patrick Tobin and co-stars Anna Kendrick, Sam Worthington and Adriana Barazza were also in attendance at today’s presser, but the spotlight naturally fell on Aniston, who also executive produced the film.

“This is the farthest thing from anything I’ve ever done,” the actress said. “I knew this would be an extraordinary challenge for me. I was so excited, and so ready, to just dive in and take it on.” Aniston talked about the extensive research she conducted in advance of such a physically (and mentally) demanding role. “I did quite a lot of homework,” said Aniston, who received a standing ovation after Cake’s premiere last night. “I have two girlfriends who suffer from chronic pain. One is a dear friend and stuntwoman who suffered a very severe accident and became addicted to pain meds. I asked about their physicality, and I talked to psychopharmacologists…I wore a brace, because I tend to slouch. If you walk like that for five weeks, you do end up in pain.”

Some were curious to know how the actress—whose hairstyle became an international phenomenon in the ’90s—felt about taking on such a physically unglamorous role. “We don’t always have our high heels on,” she said. “We don’t always have our makeup on. This character is someone who had given up on even waking up, sometimes. So that’s how I approached it.”